


Emma

by DiYunho



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Joker fandom, Suicide Squad (2016), The Joker fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort/Angst, DC comics - Freeform, Denial of Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Joker - Freeform, Light Angst, Love, Post-Suicide Squad (2016), Suicide Squad, The Joker - Freeform, The Joker Jared Leto, The Joker fanfic, The Joker/you - Freeform, The joker/reader - Freeform, The suicide Squad - Freeform, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 20:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15469629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiYunho/pseuds/DiYunho
Summary: The rumor that The Joker has a baby spread like fire: so many parties interested in taking advantage of the situation. Everyone knows what The Joker is capable of, yet his true limits have never been tested before: Emma is the only light in his darkness and God help the ones trying to take that away from him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You can also follow me on tumblr and you'll find me under the same blog name: DiYunho. On my Tumblr account I had a contest: my followers and readers submitted their names and the winner was used as one of the main characters. That's why you will see the name Nikki in there-she won the contest :)

First, daddy didn’t believe that you were his.

Mommy left you wrapped in a blanket on the leather couch inside her dressing room at “Savage” club with a note:

“The Joker’s daughter.

I don’t want her.”

Frost was the one that found the three months old and immediately took her to his boss for the lack of a better strategy.

“You don’t say!” J huffed, staring at the little body placed on his desk. “I doubt it she’s mine. Take her away and don’t bother me with such nonsense!” he raised his voice and Frost was getting ready to accomplish the task when you started crying. The Joker leaned over to see you better and the crying progressively stopped.

Oh, such bright hair, and you reached your tiny hands towards him. You grabbed a rebel green strand hanging to the side of his face and pulled on it. Daddy growled, finding your gesture quite bold. You pulled again.

What’s that shiny stuff in his mouth?!

The silver teeth softly bit the small fingers that ended up on his lips, their owner satisfied when you frowned.

“What is it little bird, you don’t like that?” The Joker smirked. “Curiosity will only get you in trouble,” he muttered and you fussed a bit, prompting The King of Gotham to press one of his hands on your chest, wanting to cover you back with the blanket so Frost can do what was asked earlier.

J felt your tiny heart beating under the pink onesie you were wearing; made him smile without realizing. He was actually in a pretty good disposition that day, which is rare. And somehow your presence didn’t ruin the mood. Since he was bored anyway, The Joker ordered a paternity test just for the heck of it, thinking it will be fun to actually prove himself there’s no way he could be your father.

The results came in the next day and Frost delivered the envelope, quite curious to find out what’s going on.

“Read to me!” his boss ordered and Jonny complied: he took out the paper, looked at it and calmly announced:

“Ummm…seems there’s a match, sir.”

A low chuckle, then a weird snort followed by that cringe worthy, screechy laugh.

“Hahahahaha! The irony! Hahahahaha! Hahahaha! ”

The outburst came to an abrupt end when you woke up, startled by such noises. The Joker slowly walked towards your resting spot on the recliner, intrigued by the news; you spent the night in daddy’s office and a nice lady watched you until morning.

“What am I supposed to do with you, little nugget?…Hm?…” he hovered on top of the baby, debating. You cooed and Frost thought it was imperative to take it from there:

“I can find her a place, sir. I know a few…”

J snapped instantly:

“Are you fucking crazy, Frost?! This is my daughter!!!”

“Of course sir,” Jonny found it safe to agree because he seriously didn’t know why somebody like his boss wanted to keep a three months old around. 

The answer was because of The Joker’s screwed up way of thinking: it took over, his possessiveness wanting to hold on to something that was his. He definitely wasn’t made to be a parent yet it didn’t matter: The Clown Prince of Crime decided to keep you and that was the end of the story. Or, as it turned out to be, the beginning.

“What should I name you, hm?…” daddy narrowed his eyes, a hundred monikers rushing through his overactive brain in the same time. “ What about…Emma?”

Gibberish coming from the small bundle and The Joker took it as agreement.

“Alright then, Emma it is.”

You suddenly had a name. In the short weeks you were with mommy, she only called you “a mistake”, but Emma sounded so much better than “mistake”.

**************

The Joker appointed the nice lady that took care of you the other night to be your nanny; you really like her, especially when Nikki blows raspberries on your tummy. It tickles and makes you smile; she seems to enjoy it even more than you do: she can’t stop giggling.

Yesterday, Nikki had to go away for a few hours and daddy sent another woman to take care of you. She was very mean, reminded you of mommy.

The lady was rough, slamming you around when you cried because you were famished. She actually slapped you a few times and it stung, that’s why you screamed louder and she got really mad. She gave you the bottle to make you shut up, but only for a few seconds. The nasty lady took it away from you, saying that the Devil’s daughter doesn’t need to eat and she hoped you die soon since The Joker doesn’t need a kid.

Your tummy hurt from being hungry and you really wanted your milk, that’s why you were crying again.

“Shut up, stupid baby!” the woman slapped you again, full of hatred. “You’re not getting any food while I’m here!”

“What the…what the hell are you doing??!!” Nikki stammered, choking on her words. She was there for a while, quietly standing in the doorway, horrified and not believing what she was witnessing.

The mean lady jumped, turning around to see the angered nanny walking towards her; the hag was so caught up in abusing the helpless infant she didn’t hear the elevator ascending to the Penthouse.

“I’m…I’m changing her,” she stuttered and Nikki pushed her aside, lifting the little girl in her arms.

“No you’re not!!! Get out !! Get away from her!!!!!” she shoved the wicked woman out, soothing you while you couldn’t stop crying. “My poor angel,” and your face got pecked all over while Nikki searched for her cell phone, dialing daddy’s number.

“I was only…” the woman still lingered by the exit, attempting to explain and your nanny yelled so loud it was scary:

“GET.THE.HELL.OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

************

After Nikki called, daddy was home in 30 minutes. He drove so fast he almost smashed into a building on the 37th street. J stomped inside, not saying a word; just snatched you from your babysitter, yanked the bottle out of her hand and rushed to your bedroom, locking the door.

He was furious, the reason being the little Princess in his arms he was feeding for the first time.

“Easy little bird,” he whispered when you greedily sucked from the bottle, still hungry after not eating for six hours. Daddy’s face came closer and your hands instinctively reached for his lips again. This time, your fingers weren’t bitten, but kissed and it felt good. He kept on kissing your forehead also, not being able to control himself.

“Don’t worry, she’ll never hurt you again,” daddy promised, rocking you while pacing around the room. “Nobody ever will, OK?”

The Joker’s heart ached thinking that the only pure and innocent thing in his rotten existence was harmed right under his nose. He merely kept you on a whim so why was he aggravated by the incident?!

You slept in daddy’s bed right on his chest. He snuggled with you until you felt asleep, comfortable and warm. J stared at you for hours, unable to doze off, his troubled mind trying to make sense of what he was feeling. He smiled watching you nap with your mouth slightly opened, didn’t even care when you drooled on his t-shirt. For some reason thought, daddy didn’t seem too excited when you got gassy.

“Excuse you, Pumpkin,” he sneered and gently spanked your little butt: you didn’t feel anything through your diaper and you weren’t meant to.

Daddy actually fed and changed you all night, something he never did before.

First thing you saw when you woke up was his face one inch from yours and you yawned, gazing at him.

Daddy’s eyes are the clearest blue.

Your noses touched and The Joker protectively squeezed you closer, tickling your feet until you gave him the sweetest, toothless smile.

“Tiny Emma,” he took a deep breath, not sure why your reaction made him so happy.

You babbled and made cute sounds, becoming impatient and he got out of bed, tired after worrying about his daughter for hours. He never worries about anything so that was strange too…

In the afternoon, daddy brought over three doctors to asses you and make sure you’re alright. They had to reassure him numerous times you are healthy and unharmed before he let them go.

************

Today, Nikki was walking by daddy and he pulled her in his lap, muttering something in her ear that made your babysitter blush. Daddy seemed to enjoy that and grinned, continuing to talk until he got a kiss. 

You rattled your favorite toy, chewing on it until you got bored and tossed it to the side, whimpering when you didn’t have it anymore.

“What’s going on angel?” Nikki came over, abandoning daddy on his chair. “Here’s your toy,” she gave it back and offered the binky too. “You have the cutest baby, Mister J,” she made the honest comment and daddy replied, huffing:

“Of course she’s the cutest, I’m her father! Not everybody is blessed with these awesome genes.”

Daddy certainly meant it.

“Bring her to the warehouse later,” J stretched, preparing to leave and tend to his business meeting.

But you never made it to see daddy like he wanted.

There was a car crash, gun shots and turmoil that sounded terrifying, especially when you were unexpectedly taken from your car sit with Nikki left unconscious on the driver’s side.

It was chilly, humid and dark in the basement the strangers placed you in. Nobody heard you cry.

Where’s daddy?

At one point you napped, exhausted and cold.

“Emma? Emma?? Pumpkin, where are you?” The Joker frantically searched the building located outside District 15, followed by numerous henchmen and mercenaries he gathered in a frenzy since his daughter went missing 5 hours earlier.

The King of Gotham was never this fast in putting together an army for any type of mission; the Princess being kidnapped made him panic. And he never panics so that was awkward also. J used every single resource available to him in order to promptly discover your location, aware of the grave danger.

You slowly woke up, becoming more and more alert due to all the shouting, banging and mayhem.

“Emma!!!! Emma!!!”

Was that daddy?!

The Joker kicked the basement’s door opened and gasped, relieved to see you move inside the plastic crate you were trapped in.

“Hey little nugget,” he wiped his pale cheeks from the red blood they were covered with.“I found her!!!!” J screamed and carefully removed the treasure from the box, still panting after running all over the damned place and killing everyone in his path.

**************

Your diaper is wet and you don’t like that. Better let daddy know.

“Ssssttt, don’t cry,” he barely finds the strength to speak, wanting to rest after the busy, eventful day. You wiggle on top of J, not giving up. He moves his hands up and down your back without success.

“I’ll take care of it,” Nikki offers, turning on the lamp on her side of the bed.

Oh, the nice lady is here!

“Com’ere angel,” she takes you from daddy and turns off the light while he rolls on his side, making that sound you like:

Daddy doesn’t snore; he just softly purrs sometimes.

Nikki takes you to the bathroom, planning to give you a quick bath. You’ve been restless tonight and that should help. Your nanny’s forehead is bandaged and she has a black eye, courtesy of the jerks that abducted you yesterday.

You cling to her nightgown, smacking your lips.

“Are you hungry?” she chuckles, amused by the sweet little girl.

She prepares your small bath tub in a hurry, wanting to return to the comfortable bed at daddy’s hideout near Crimson Hill.

Splash, splash! your tiny arms play in the water, that tingling sensation making you quite chatty at 2 in the morning.

“What are you saying, hm?” the nanny laughs, washing you with the cloth. She suddenly feels a pinch on her neck and her vision is getting blurry. Nikki collapses to the ground, incapable of controlling her body. The last thing she sees is the Batman approaching, his heavy boots stopping right by her head.

The babysitter makes a last effort to alert The Joker of his nemesis’s presence and passes out before any words come out.

**************

This man wearing a strange outfit took you from daddy and you’ve been at his mansion for the last three days. He was concerned with your well-being and acted to save you first, wanting to take care of The Clown afterwards. Maybe use you as some kind of leverage if the occasion arises. He’s actually very nice to you and plans to find you a perfect home.

But you already have a home. How come he doesn’t know that?

You miss daddy and his bright hair. Better cry to let this guy know.

“Heeeyyy, it’s ok; Bruce is here,” the man picks you up, calming down the fussy little girl. “No worries, sweetheart, you’re safe from that lunatic now. I’ll find you a great place, alright?”

What’s a lunatic? …And where’s daddy again? Why do people keep on taking you away from him?!

“Sir, you should turn on the TV,” Alfred knocks at the opened door to make his presence known.

Bruce Wayne does as advised and the breaking news is shocking: simultaneous explosions just happened all over Gotham, buildings and bridges alike, mysterious graffiti found nearby the destroyed locations:

“Give the little bird back or I’ll blow up the whole town!”

The nice man got upset, saying a bunch of not very nice things about daddy.

So maybe he’s not that nice…

Bruce dressed up with the suit once more and went to meet The Joker in the middle of the night. You rode in the Batmobile with him and dozed off since he was a good driver; such a smooth trip.

************

You hear daddy’s deep voice: him and the man in the weird outfit fighting about stuff. Daddy is a few steps away and he presses the screen of his cellphone, another detonation booming in the distance.

“Give her back!” he growls, pissed Batsy had the nerve to take his Pumpkin: she belongs to him and only him!

The only light in his darkness. How come nobody understands that?!

“GIVE.HER.BACK!!!!!” and daddy presses the screen after each word, more explosions following. “NOW!!!!!”

Another powerful blast.

You don’t comprehend the severity of what’s going on, but after a few minutes you end up in daddy’s arms, Bruce leaving the meeting after J threatened to blow up a whole district if he doesn’t comply.

How you’ve missed daddy’s scent; he always smells so good.

You’re so happy you give him that innocent, toothless smile and his heart beats faster, not being able to take his eyes from his daughter.

Nikki is anxiously waiting by the car, running towards you two after noticing The Joker’s shadow emerging from behind the trees surrounding Willow Park.

“My little angel,” she keeps on pecking your hands, teary and grateful to have you back.

You truly like the nice lady.

She wants to hold you but daddy won’t let go and she offers to drive since there is no other option. 

The truth is nobody feels safe around The Joker. Except you.

You really love daddy. And daddy loves you back.

Even if he doesn’t know it.


	2. Chapter 2

Daddy can’t sleep without you.

Most of the times he takes you to your bedroom and leaves you in the crib, only to return a few minutes later:

“Com’ere little bird,” and the sleeping Princess is brought back to his quarters, this way The King of Gotham can rest.

You really like waking up in daddy’s arms.

“5 more minutes nugget,” J negotiates with his eyes closed, prompting more wiggling from the impatient baby. “Here’s your binky,” he offers and kisses the top of your head. This strategy would occasionally work but typically once you’re awake, that’s it.

The noises you make while frantically sucking on the pacifier make daddy smirk:

“It’s that good, hm?”

Your tiny hands reach for his face, wanting to touch the soft skin.

Daddy purrs, tracing your chubby cheeks and you drop your binky, mesmerized.

Those sounds you like!

You stare at him with your mouth opened while daddy steals a kiss, trapping your fingers under his.

“No escape, you’re mine,” The Joker teases and a bunch of gibberish coming from the infant prompts him to pull you closer. “You can’t go anywhere,” he whispers, cuddling with his precious Emma.

You hope nobody takes you from daddy again; he wanted you when mommy didn’t and you love staying here. Better give him the toothless smile, this way he knows.

J sighs, completely immersed in his daughter’s innocence; this strange, overwhelming feeling he will never understand taking over.

A deranged psychopath protective of his baby; how could the outside world decipher the depth of such mystery when The Clown Prince himself doesn’t comprehend the reason of his actions?

Not knowing you love somebody is a terrible curse.

But not realizing you love your own child is an unimaginable burden.

*************

The nice lady has to travel to Los Angeles for a few days. Nikki covered you up in kisses, pretending she was stashing a few in her backpack “for the road.”

Daddy said he will find a new girlfriend in the meantime and the nanny didn’t seem excited; she yanked at his shirt and kisses him too, telling him to behave. After J told her he never behaves, the nice lady pouted and daddy laughed at her insecurity.

Is that why Nikki didn’t stash any kisses from him in her backpack?…

Now that you two are home alone, daddy wants to show you something. He bundled you up in warm winter clothes and he took you outside on the balcony.

Waaahh, what’s this stuff falling from the sky?!

“This is snow, Pumpkin,” daddy explains, walking around the huge terrace connected to the Penthouse on the 30th floor.

A snowflake lands on your little nose and melts.

That’s cold!

You hide your face on daddy’s chest and he snickers, lifting you higher in his arms.

“Look how pretty it is,” daddy turns you towards the city so you can see.

Everything is white. How is this possible?!

A few snowflakes get on your eyelashes and you blink faster while they dissolve in thin air. You whimper and daddy covers your nose with the scarf, taking one of your gloves off. He presses your small hand against the snow gathered on the railing, delighted when babbling and cooing comes out of you.

“Pretty cool, huh?” The Joker blows warm air on your fingers, putting the glove back on afterwards.

You’re not sure if you like snow yet; it’s just weird how it disappears if you touch it.

Daddy cleans up the snow from a small portion of the railing, making you sit there with your back against his abdomen while firmly holding you.

Nikki would freak out for sure if she was present.

The Joker though is not even concerned: his little Princess seems to enjoy the view and that’s enough for him.

**************

Daddy has another surprise: after battling the winter outside, he said you’ll spend some time in the Jacuzzi with him.

What’s a Jacuzzi?! 

You watched daddy having a tantrum while he changed you into your waterproof diaper; took him several tries to get it right and he got mad: he kicked the Pampers bag and stomped on it, saying that he’s The Joker and he doesn’t need to put up with this kind of nonsense.

But did it anyway.

Daddy got into his swimming shorts and took you to the master bathroom while you squirmed in his embrace: is this that Jacuzzi thing he was talking about?!

It looks so scary: the water is boiling and making gurgling noises, it would hurt for sure if you get in there.

No daddy, no, no, no!

Better cry to let daddy know you don’t like it.

“No crying Miss Emma,” daddy keeps your wobbly head on his shoulder, carefully stepping inside the hot tub.

You whimper, getting ready to scream.

Oh…It’s nice and warm.

“You like it little bird?” J inquires, soothing you and lowering himself in the steamy water.

You sniffle on his shoulder, yawning. Daddy smiles, watching your eyelids getting heavy since you’re comfortable enough to take a nap.

**************

You wake up at the club; apparently The Joker took you with him since he doesn’t want to let you out of his sight. The news that you’re here spread really fast and the ladies working at this famous establishment want to see you badly: the rumor is you’re super adorable.

Lara parts the beads and steps inside the VIP room, gulping when her boss gives her a mean glare. She’s afraid of him but curiosity is stronger.

“Hi Mister J, I made your favorite,” the young woman brings the tray with a purple cocktail in front of him, eyeballing the baby she notices move inside the basket.

“Did I ask for one?!” he snarls, displeased he’s being bothered by yet another employee.

“Umm, I just thought you might…” the young woman mumbles, sliding closer to you.

“I got plenty!” daddy points towards the seven untouched drinks towering on the glass coffee table to his left: the waitresses keep on coming under the pretext they made him a drink, this way they can see the baby.

Lara tries to hide her nervousness and adds her drink to the others, gasping when she glimpses at you again:

“Oh my God, Mister J, she’s so precious!” the lady leans over, not waiting for his reply.“Awwww, aren’t you cute?” she giggles, pocking the tiny tummy. “Are you going to give me a smile? Coooome on, give me a smile,” she begs and daddy rolls his eyes, annoyed.

Nope, you’re too smitten with her sparkly dress that changes colors every time she moves.

Daddy wants to kick her out, but the need to display his skills makes him tolerate Lara for a few more seconds.

The Joker taps on your chin with his index finger, the silver teeth emerging behind the red lips:

“Hey little nugget.”

Oh, it’s daddy!

You snap out of daze, kicking your little feet and flaring your arms around; the lady is about to have a stroke when the killer, toothless smile flourishes on your cute face.

“This…this is unbelievable!” she stutters, captivated by The Joker’s daughter. “She knows you’re her father, Mister J!”  
“Of course she knows, woman! Now get back to work!” he angrily raises his voice, sick and tired of the charade.

Lara bails without further comment, not wanting to be the unlucky recipient of her boss’s rage: it is well known what he can do if he snaps.

“Nobody gets in here anymore, understood?” J growls at the six henchmen guarding the VIP room.

“Yes, sir!” Frost answers for everyone.

Daddy has to leave you alone for about 15 minutes and told his people the VIP room is off the limits, no matter who the person is.

****************

“Emma? Emma, wake up!” daddy shakes the small body and there’s no reaction.

He found you unconscious in your basket with a post-it note stuck to your red onesie:

Who’s laughing now, Clown?

Next to you is an empty syringe and The Joker loses it; he takes the gun out of the holster and storms outside, shouting at his men:

“Who was in there?”

“Nobody sir,” one of the guys answers and the gun shot stops his words forever. The body collapses on the floor, J pointing his gun to the next goon.

“Who the fuck was in there?”

“No one sir !” and daddy takes a deep breath, his thoughts poisoned with doubt; he pulls the trigger again and ends another life.

“WHO. WAS. IN. THERE??” The Joker yells, not being able to concentrate on anything besides the fact that something bad happened to his daughter.

“We didn’t move from our spots sir,” Frost keeps his calm demeanor, aware on how dangerous it is to be around daddy when he loses control. “Nobody went inside, not a single soul.”

J pants, hate and resentment clouding his already frail state of mind. He exhales and lowers his gun, rushing back inside the VIP room.

His daughter seems to peacefully sleep, but he knows better than that.

Daddy takes you in his arms, somewhat relieved when the ear pressed against your chest hears a heartbeat.

“Wake up little bird,” he touches your nose with his and there is no smile, no movement. Daddy holds his breath, aimlessly dragging his feet on the marble tiles. His eyes wonder off around the luxurious room, not knowing what to do: what the hell happened?!

The Joker’s gaze stops on the ceiling: did somebody sneak in through the venting system?

He has ten armed men on the roof, patrolling the premises when he’s present at the club. They didn’t see anything?!

The fact is that maybe they saw something, but no one left alive to tell; daddy found them all dead with a post-it just like yours attached to their foreheads:

Who’s laughing now Clown?

****************

The first name on J’s list he thought might be the best one to help in this situation was Doctor Jonathan Crane. Daddy paid him a huge amount of money, promising to triple the sum if the Scarecrow manages to save you.

The first step was to figure out what you were injected with: the test revealed that the empty syringe found by your side was brand new; definitely not the one used to administer the enigmatic concoction.

Even if Doctor Crane didn’t have the formula used for the serum, he figured out it was designed for a very specific purpose: to slowly induce organ failure upon the unlucky recipient of such toxic blend.

Since you can’t eat anymore, you are being fed through a nasal tube. Jonathan said there is not a lot of time left since his patient is so young. He’s frantically working on a solution, but the future doesn’t look too promising.

Daddy can’t sleep anymore; awake for hours, he keeps on listening to the beeping sound of all the devices connected to his daughter. Nikki came back also and couldn’t stop crying when she heard you might be gone soon. None of them leave your side; they sleep in your bedroom, watching the little girl fade away.

This morning, the nice lady passed out, exhausted after not resting for the last couple of days. Daddy is very upset since he still doesn’t know who did this to you: he has so many resources and yet no solid lead towards the architect of the convoluted scheme resulting in his baby’s harm.

He gently moved you, not wanting to detach you from the machines measuring your vital signs, and placed you on his chest like he used to.

“Hey little nugget… If you wake up, I’ll take you outside to see the snow again, ok?…” daddy promises, caressing your head. “It’s beautiful, you’ll love it…”

He bites his lower lip and the small, limp body in his arms makes him sigh with remorse.

Doctor Crane interrupts, knocking at the cracked door:

“Joker, I think I have something.”

*************

The Scarecrow told daddy that the remedy he came up with in such a hurry will aid, but it has undesirable side effects: it attacks the optic nerve which might result in blindness and there is no way to know if it will be temporary or permanent. Jonathan underlined the fact that he can manipulate the compound for better results, but that will take weeks and the little girl can’t afford to wait any longer.

The Joker didn’t hesitate before deciding on the procedure:

If it comes to it, it’s better to have a blind daughter than no daughter at all.

You were injected with the medicine and now nothing left to do but wait.

One thing is for sure though: The Joker wants revenge and won’t show any mercy. He’s furious that somebody had the audacity to do this to his baby! Even if it’s not the best idea, he will have to step on his pride and ask his adversary for help. The King of Gotham has plenty of aces up his sleeve and he knows one of them is of special interest to Batman: might as well use it to his advantage.

****************

When Bruce Wayne saw the bat signal lighting up the night sky, he assumed it’s a police emergency again. He was wrong: he only found a letter under the reflector, the last two handwritten lines on the paper being the most important:

Give me the name of the asshole that almost killed my little bird and I’ll give you Bane.

I know where he hides.

The sane person inside Batman knows better than to make a deal with the Devil.

But the protector of Gotham realizes The Joker’s innocent daughter he once sheltered at the Wayne mansion has no fault in anything; yet she keeps on being the target on unwanted attention. The fact is that children should never pay for their parent’s sins; still it can’t be avoided.

Bruce had to make a choice and he did.

*************

After one week

J sees you move and immediately hovers on top of you.

“Emma, it’s daddy.”

You slowly open your eyes. The Joker presses your hands against his cheeks, excited you’re waking up. “Don’t be scared, I’m here.”

Where?! It’s so dark. You can hear and feel daddy but you can’t see him.

Your face is being kissed and you hear the nice lady’s shaky voice:

“My little angel, I was so worried,” and Nikki starts sobbing because she notices your eyes can’t focus.

Where is she? How come you can’t see your nanny either?

“Ssstttt, don’t cry,” daddy kisses your fingers, placing them back on his face, this way you know you’re not alone. “Turn off that damned TV!” J urges Nikki because the news channels show the same announcement over and over: as a result of an anonymous tip, the infamous criminal Bane was captured last night.

The babysitter gets up and finds the remote by the note daddy received four days ago from one of his couriers; the guy stated that Batman knocked him out cold and left the piece of paper in his pocket. The simple sentence reads:

It was Poison Ivy.

Nikki is about to turn off the TV, when another breaking news takes over the screen: the corpse identified as one of the most wanted villains on the FBI list was found floating in Gotham river. Apparently the eyes were removed from the body, no further clues about what happened to Poison Ivy being released so far.

“Fucking bitch!” The Joker mutters through his clenched teeth when her picture shows up on the screen.

“At least they found her like you wanted,” Nikki points out, hoping that the warning will be enough for others to stay away if they don’t want to end up like Pamela Isley.

J turns his attention towards his baby again since she stopped crying.

“Hey little nugget,” daddy purrs and his Princess gives him the toothless smile he can’t live without.

It’s daddy! Where was he hiding?!

The Joker frowns, analyzing your reaction.

“Nikki, I think she can see me!”

“What?!” the nice lady drops the remote, approaching the bed.

Daddy kisses your eyelids, happy when you instinctively squirm due to the closeness.

“Can you see me Pumpkin?”

Another smile and a bunch of gibberish, plus your eyes focusing on his confirm the suspicion: his daughter is not blind.

That weird emotion The Joker can’t understand washes over him and makes The King of Gotham tense:

Not knowing you love somebody is a terrible curse.

But realizing there is room in your heart for something else besides hate is an unexpected blessing.


End file.
